I read this someplace and wanted to share it with you.
The average age of the U.S. soldier is 19 years. He is a short haired,
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as
half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer,
but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and
he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never
collected unemployment either.
He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a
steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be
waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or
hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he
was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after
dusk.
He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he
can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the
dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade
launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and
latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is
told to stop or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without
spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of
fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his
feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his
rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food.
He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run
low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were
his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will
often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic
humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in
his short lifetime.
He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He
has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is
unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body
while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away'
those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop
talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their
right to be disrespectful. Just as his Father, Grandfather, and
Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he
is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free
for over 200 years.
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his
blood. May God bless America and our
American Soldiers.
"Lord, hold our troops in
your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their
families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."
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